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STORY: The tiger mosquitoes inside this box are about to be freed... so that they can go out and mate with females.

That’s exactly what these Spanish researchers in Valencia want.

The male mosquitoes here have been sterilized using radiation.

The hope is that by and releasing them and allowing them to breed... it will eventually reduce the population.

That will help fight diseases as the invasive species spreads across Europe.

David Almenart is a biologist:

“We are preparing to ensure that diseases such as zika, dengue and chikungunya are not transmitted in Europe. If we eliminate the mosquitoes that transmit them, we eliminate the potential risk of transmission of these diseases.”

Vicente Dalmau of Valencia region's health, agriculture and fisheries department says the conditions brought on by climate change is encouraging their spread - and that their population is increasing all the time.

Using an electron accelerator, the regional government-funded Biological Pest Control Centre sterilizes and releases about 45,000 male mosquitoes every week.

The specimens are locally sourced and scientists use a machine to separate male from female pupae.

And while sterilization techniques have been used in other parts of the world, the lab is pioneering their use on tiger mosquitoes in Europe at a time of growing concern over a rise in mosquito-borne diseases.

The striped tiger mosquito is spreading north, east, and west in Europe, and now has self-sustaining populations in 13 countries, including Spain.